Iranian-linked hackers have targeted employees of American drug company Gilead Sciences Inc in recent weeks, while the company has been racing to produce a treatment for the Corona virus, according to publicly available web archives reviewed by Reuters and three cybersecurity researchers.
She sent a fake login page designed to steal passwords - in April - to the email of a senior legal and corporate affairs executive at Gilead, according to a copy on a website used to scan for malicious web addresses, and Reuters was unable to determine what If the attack was successful.
This was part of an attempt by an Iranian group to phishing the company's e-mail accounts for employees of the company, using messages that impersonate journalists, said Ohad Zaidenberg, a researcher at the Israeli Clear Cyber Security company - who closely follows Iranian piracy and investigated the attacks.
Two other cybersecurity researchers - who have not been authorized to speak publicly about their analysis - have confirmed that the web domains and hosting servers used in hacking attempts are linked to Iran.
Iran's delegation to the United Nations denied any involvement in the attacks, and the spokesman, Ali Reza Mariusevi, said that "the Iranian government does not participate in cyber war," adding that "Iran's cyber activities are purely defensive and to protect against attacks on its infrastructure."
A spokesman for Gilliade declined to comment, citing the company’s policy of not discussing cybersecurity issues, and Reuters was unable to determine whether any of the attempts were successful, nor were the motives of the Iranian intruders.
| Cyber spies around the world focus their efforts on gathering intelligence on Corona virus (Reuters) |
Corona virus vaccine target of cyberattacks
Piracy attempts show how electronic spies worldwide are focusing their efforts on gathering intelligence about the Corona virus.
Reuters reported in recent weeks that infiltrators with links to Iran and other groups had also attempted to storm the World Health Organization, and that attackers linked to Vietnam had targeted the Chinese government for its handling of the outbreak of the Coronavirus.
Britain and the United States also warned this week that pirates backed by countries are attacking drug companies and research institutions working to treat the new disease.
The joint statement did not give the names of the organizations attacked, but two people familiar with the matter said that one of the targets was the Gilead Sciences lab, which is an anti-retroviral drug, the only treatment that has so far been shown to help patients with it.
Priscilla Moriuchi, director of strategic threats development at US Recorded Future, said that the hacking infrastructure used to attempt to hack into the Email Science Laboratory's email account was previously used in cyberattacks by a group of suspected Iranian hackers known as Charming Kitin.
"Even access to the e-mail of employees of the sophisticated Western pharmaceutical company could give the Iranian government an advantage in developing treatments and combating disease," added Moriushi.
Iran has suffered sharply from the spread of the Corona virus, with the highest number of deaths in the Middle East. The disease has so far killed more than 260,000 people worldwide, leading to a global race between governments, private drug companies and researchers to develop treatment.
The Gilead Sciences Laboratory ranks at the forefront of this global race, and was praised by US President Donald Trump, who met California CEO Daniel Auday at the White House in March and April to discuss her work to produce treatments for the Corona virus.
Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration granted a license for emergency use of Gilead treatment to patients infected with the Coronavirus, paving the way for wider use in more hospitals throughout the United States.
An official at one of the European biotechnology companies said that the industry is on "high alert" and is taking additional precautions to protect against attempts to steal Corona virus treatment research, such as conducting all work on vaccine experiments on non-internet computers.